The funeral of Dr Jane Deasy, one of the three Irish women killed in the Air France plane crash, took place in Dublin today.
Dr Deasy was a generous and devoted sister, a loving daughter, a dear friend and a great surgeon in the making, mourners at her funeral in Dublin heard today.
Before a congregation so large that it spilled out through the doors of the Church of the Holy Name in Ranelagh, chief celebrant Fr Bernard Kennedy said the 27-year-old, gifted to her family "like an angel's presence", had inexplicably been taken from them in the full radiance of life. Her passing was a reminder of how short and unpredictable life could be.
Dr Deasy was one of three Irish women killed when their Air France flight crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on May 31st. She was returning from a holiday in Brazil with two friends - fellow doctors Eithne Walls (28) from Ballygowan, Co Down, and Aisling Butler (26) of Roscrea, Co Tipperary - when the plane went missing.
That radiance was allowed to shine through a Mass interspersed with vignettes from her short life - what family friend Declan Magee called those "glimpses of what lay beneath".
There was her academic success and her devotion to family and friends, but there were also her beloved red patent shoes, her passion for conversation, her single penalty point and her Toyota Yaris, which she wanted to upgrade from "because she said it didn't fully express her personality." What she needed was a Mercedes, she joked.
Friends and family members recalled the warm and lovely smile that beamed out on the congregation from a framed photograph on her coffin, as well as her intelligence and her talent as a doctor. With her career barely under way, Mr Magee said, she was "trusted, valued and loved by her patients" and admired, respected and loved by her colleagues "for her ability, her modesty, her comradeship and selflessness".
Dr Deasy is survived by her mother Barbara, father Joe, a consultant at Beaumont Hospital, and sisters Caragh and Alison, as well as a wide circle of relatives and friends, including grandmother Rita and long-time boyfriend Alex Creavin. Speaking movingly of her older sister, Caragh recalled the quiet intimacies of a close family life - preparations for Christmas, walks with the dog and endless night-time chat among the three girls.
"Jane was an exceptionally special, loving and unique person to all of us," Caragh said. "Her qualities were evident, but the ones that stick out in my mind are beautiful, caring, kind, hardworking and generous."
Among the mourners at yesterday's funeral were the families of Eithne Walls and Aisling Butler, whose remains have not yet been found. Jane was due to join Eithne at the Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin on July 1st, and they were brimming with excitement about it. Eithne was a happy, talented person with a beautiful smile, Caragh said, while Aisling - a regular visitor to the house - brought with her "a great sense of humour, a cheerful manner, a love for life, and of course her infectious laugh, that we will never forget."
Surgeon's scrubs and a stethoscope were brought to the altar, as well as those famous red shoes and a framed photograph of the three friends who died together. There was also an Irish tricolour, symbolising her love of her country, and an American flag, a reminder of her birth in Boston 27 years ago.
Her boyfriend Alex presented a watch and necklace he had given to Jane, and which she was wearing when her body was recovered.
As Caragh Deasy addressed her closing words to her late sister and faltered only slightly as she did, the church was so still that the light breeze seemed to whistle along the aisle. "Jane, I am so proud to be your sister, and even though your life was cut so tragically short, I would not swap a day with you for anything," she said.
"Words cannot describe how much we will miss you, but we hope you give us your strength and serenity to cope with your loss. We will never, ever forget you, and we love you so, so much."